


Caught in the Middle

by lunarsilverwolfstar



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Rewrite, Drama & Romance, Established Relationship, Eventual Smut, F/M, Humor, Protectiveness, Secret Identity, Secrets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-06
Updated: 2018-02-11
Packaged: 2018-12-24 11:51:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 20,867
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12012135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lunarsilverwolfstar/pseuds/lunarsilverwolfstar
Summary: When Felicity Smoak is enticed to help the Hood, she makes the tough decision of keeping it from her boyfriend, Oliver Queen, whom she loves very much. But what happens when she starts falling for the man in leather as well?





	1. Prologue: Things Will Never Be the Same Again

**Author's Note:**

> DON'T SHOOT THE MESSENGER! I promise this is all my muses fault. Last year, I was listening to a song for the umpteenth time (which will be revealed at the end - unless one of you can guess) and, for the first time, this crazy idea of "What if Felicity were dating Oliver _and_ helping the Hood without knowing they were one and the same?" came about. Thus, this fic was born.
> 
> PSA: I have all confidence that if this had actually occurred, Felicity would have figured it out hella quick. That being said, this is a 'What If' fic in which I hope I made it believable enough as to why she didn't.
> 
> This fic is (finally complete) and I'll be posting every Wednesday (would make it twice a week, but busy schedule and all...). Hope you enjoy!

"Felicity Smoak? Hi, I'm Oliver Queen?"

The occasions Felicity Smoak had to gape were rare, but gaping at the man standing before her was exactly what she was doing and dropping the pen she'd been chewing on was next. She remembered reading about the tragic accident when she began looking for a job after college. She'd even seen a more personal picture of Oliver and his father on Mrs. Queen's desk a few months back. While she continued to stare, her mouth ran while her brain tried to catch up. "I know who you are, you're Mr. Queen."

"Please, Mr. Queen was my father." He gave her a small smile. Was he reading her mind? Her breath caught as she stared into the depths of his blue eyes. She shook herself mentally, doing her best to form words.

"What can I do for you, M- Oliver?" She smiled back, more hesitant, but no less genuine.

"Walter told me you were the best I.T. personnel in the city and I was hoping couldn'td help me…" Was he blushing?

"Help you?" she prompted, pressing her lips in amusement. How could such a larger-than-life man look so adorable?

"I need help setting up my laptop, you see, and I didn't want to ask Thea, my sister, since she'd just make fun of me. And my best friend wouldn't be able to stop laughing long enough to help."

"Oh! I…" It certainly wasn't the oddest request she'd ever received and considering he'd been stranded on an island for the past five years, it would make sense that he would need help with the more advanced technology. Though it wasn't that different, maybe he had never been all that handy with computers to begin with?

"It doesn't have to be today," he amended quickly, "whenever you're available, would be great."

"Now I'm available," she blurted out, her words mixing with the end of his statement, and they both laughed. She tried to amend, “I meant to say, I'm available now. Now's a great time. Well, anytime is a great time. Except when I'm working, which is also now, but I'm not busy now, now and-” She cut herself off, noticing the small smile she couldn't quite decipher yet.

\------

Felicity put her phone down, unable to wipe the grin off her face as she played back the series of texts she received from Oliver in the past few hours. Never had she felt like her work day had gone by so quick. Lost in thought as she was, she almost jumped when she heard her phone ring, her cubicle phone, that was. "This is Felicity Smoak," she answered, shaking her head at herself.

"Ms. Smoak, this is Mr. Steele. Could you please stop by my office with your results?"

Oh crap. "Of course, Mr. Steele. I'll be there in a few minutes." Hanging up, she pressed her lips together. She had a feeling what she was about to reveal wouldn't sit well with her boss. Just days after her first date with Oliver, he had tasked her with an important and, she had found during her search, personal task. This was so very not good.

\------

She had been right, he didn't like what she'd found, but she hadn't thought Mr. Steele would just dismiss her. Well, dismiss her findings, not her, per say. Not that she could blame him. If she'd found out her partner had been lying… Shaking her head, she had almost made it to her car when she saw a shadow from the corner of her eye. Turning, she jumped back and bit down a yelp as she took in a tall figure in green leather.

She heard the faint echo of a beep before a staticy voice spoke, "Felicity Smoak?"

"Y-you're the Vigilante that's been on the news." 'Way to state the obvious, Smoak,' she scolded at herself, clutching her purse and wondering if she'd be fast enough to grab her pepper spray. It was an automatic thought when faced with an unknown, intimidating figure. One didn't survive the streets of Vegas or Starling without some kind of protection. It was a sad truth.

"Yes, and I could use your help." He threw a slim, black box at her and she just barely managed to catch it. A hard drive. "I need information on what's on there."

Huh. Without realizing it, she took her eyes off the imposing man, for she was sure it was a he, and was inspecting the tech. "It's badly damaged," she commented.

"Whatever you could salvage from it would be helpful."

"Why me?" Her forehead creased as she looked up at him.

"Because you want to help the city. I found an application to the SCPD while doing my research."

On whom he could come to for help, she figured. She was surprised he had even found that application. When she first moved to Starling City, she had applied at both QC and the SCPD, among other places. The only reason she was at QC was because of their applied science division, the ability to move up, and the fact that they had answered positively to her interview just days before SCPD had welcomed her too. Still having bad memories with law enforcement, she went with QC.

"What are you going to do with it?"

"What?" Despite the voice scrambler, she liked to think she managed to hear startelement behind the word.

"You heard me." She stared at him, chin tilted upward.

There was a long pause and, just as she thought he wouldn't respond, he said, "Stop innocent people from dying."

\------

It had been enough. So, while Oliver came to her cubicle every day, either to chat with her about her day or ask an inane tech question, she began helping ‘the Hood’ whom she secretly called Green Arrow in her head. Before she knew it, four months passed by and she found herself dating the city's most eligible bachelor _and_ helping Starling City's most wanted man.

That didn't mean she hadn't been hesitant, at first, with both men.

It was well-known, even to a ‘newbie’ resident like Felicity, that Oliver Queen had been quite the lady's man back in the day. She knew that the papers like to exaggerate the mischief of celebrities and millionaires (or billionaires, in this case). While she preferred to judge people by her own standards, it didn't mean she wasn't wary. Besides newspaper sources, she had her own personal source.

The day she met Oliver, she'd immediately called Sara Lance, her newly minted stepsister, and told her everything that happened. While the more petite blonde cautioned her to be careful, she also admitted that the once-callous man seemed to have changed for the better.

\------

"The only reason dad doesn't hate Oliver is because of what he did just before he took off with Laurel."

Felicity knew what a painful subject the death of her sister was, so she waited quietly for Sara to continue.

"Ollie and Laurel were on a break and I convinced him to hang out with me. We went to a party and I got wasted. He was taking care of me, but then I jumped him…" she trailed off, the embarrassment in her voice apparently. "He was rather tipsy himself, so we fooled around, nothing serious. Though I didn't think so at the time, I was thankfully a bit of a mess and suddenly began crying all over him. It was around the time I was realizing I swung both ways, and while I found Ollie quite attractive, there was this girl at school I was half in love with. Before I knew it, we were at Ollie's and I was spilling the beans.

"I don't know how Laurel found out I was at the mansion, but she showed up and started screaming at me, trying to throw things at Ollie. She wouldn't believe us when we said nothing happened. It wasn't until I screamed, 'I think I'm gay!' that she stopped. Everything stopped, it felt like. I told her I wanted to talk to her and our parents, but only after she calmed down. The next day, the five of us, including Ollie, sat in our living room and I told them. He was there for me, even though he didn't have to be. I was just his ex's little sister. My parents were great about it, of course, and Laurel was so supportive, realizing how much Oliver helped me. They got back together soon afterwards and then, well. You know the rest."

Felicity didn't know what to say to that and told her so. "Wow, Sara. I-"

"Look, I didn't tell you all of this to get you to back off. In fact, I think you should definitely give him a chance. I just want you to go into this with both eyes open. Not because I think Ollie's a bad guy, but we also don't know how much he changed, being stranded on an island for five years."

"I'll keep that in mind. Thanks, Sara."

"Anytime, sis. So what else is new? Or is dating billionaires as exciting as it gets?" she joked.

Felicity laughed and hoped the other woman didn't hear how strained it was. As much as she wanted to tell her about helping Starling's vigilante, their father/stepfather was still a cop. Even without that factor, she had a feeling Sara wouldn't be as supportive of her newfound hobby as she was the potential boyfriend.

\------

While she had decided to give Oliver a chance and give him all her trust, with the Green Arrow, it hadn't been until he helped her find her boss, Walter Steele, that she really began to trust him.

\------

"Did you receive my package?" the modulated voice asked.

"I did, but arrows are really your thing, you know. I didn't even get you anything."

"You can find out who manufactured them."

"Already on it."

"Thank you." With that, the line went dead.

Felicity sighed and rolled her eyes. She still wasn't certain how she ended up roped into helping this guy, for all the appreciation he showed, but at least she was using her powers for something good. She only hoped it didn't wind up with anyone dead. Wincing, she shoved the bad memories to the back of her mind once again.

She was so focused on her tablet, wondering if she should continue working with the Green Arrow and looking for the arrow distributor, that she didn't hear someone approach her desk.

"Hey," came the cheery tone.

Gasping, she looked up to see her boyfriend looking down at her. "Don't you knock?" she blurted out.

His smile fell. "I'm sorry, is this a bad time?"

"No! No," she said, more calmly. "I'm sorry, Oliver. I was just stuck on something that seems to have no right or wrong answer." She locked her tablet and placed it on the desk, face down. An inkling of guilt crept in.

"I find that a break from it all helps sometimes. Coffee?" he offered.

At this, she grinned. "Sure." Her heart leaped when he answered in kind, glad to have him smiling again. She grabbed her purse and followed him to the elevators, ignoring the murmurs that followed them.

Once they stepped into an empty car, Oliver turned to her. "Is anyone giving you a hard time?"

He looked so serious, she couldn't help but laugh. "I'm sorry," she finally said, after she saw the hurt on his face. "It's fine, I promise. No one has actually said anything to my face and as long as the head of I.T. and I know that I got my promotion by my own merits, I don't care."

They stepped out the elevator and out the building. Once they were a couple of blocks away, Felicity touched his arm to stop him. As soon as he turned, she leaned in, catching him by surprise. That didn't mean he was unresponsive, quickly returning her gentle kiss in kind.

After ordering their coffees and finding a place to sit in the quaint cafe Felicity had found in her first month at QC, she asked, "So is there a reason you came by?"

"Can't I just stop in and see how my girlfriend is doing?" He reached for her unoccupied hand, squeezing her fingers carefully.

She looked at him carefully. He seemed content, but there was a shadow behind his eyes. The only reason why she recognized it was because the same shadow seemed to live in her eyes, ever since she started helping the Green Arrow. Taking a breath, she replied, "Of course not. You know I love it when you do." She caressed his hand, so much larger than her own, the pads of his fingers calloused, and they gave her the urge to keep him safe, from anything and everything. He had already been through so much in his life, she didn't want to add more of a burden. This was why she never told him, she told herself firmly.

"Well… I kind of told my family this morning that I'd plan the Queen Christmas party, but then I realized I have no idea what I'm doing… I was hoping you could help me?" he asked, hopeful.

"Oliver." She was so touched that he felt like he could come to her with such a simple and grand request. "Of course. But you do know I'm Jewish, right?" she teased.

Apparently, it was the wrong thing to say, as she watched his cheeks flush and he stuttered, "N-no, I did-didn't."

Felicity blinked at that. Wracking her brain, she realized she had never actually told him. It had never really come up in conversation, seeing as she didn't like to talk about her childhood much, just like he tended to avoid the subject of the island. Plus, she really celebrated Chanukah now, since her mom married Quentin.

"I'm sorry," he spoke, breaking her train of thought. "I didn't mean to offend you."

"Oliver." She squeezed his hand, which had gone limp in hers. "You didn't offend me. In fact, I'm glad you came to ask my help for something so important to your family. I would love to help."

"Felicity, you're remarkable."

Her breath caught. Knowing how much he cared for his family, she couldn't help but imagine being a part of it someday. Cheeks flushed, she replied, "Thank you for remarking on it."

\------

When Oliver's stepfather was kidnapped, her guilt of  working with the Green Arrow and keeping it from him had been assuaged some. Here was a way to help her boyfriend and keep him safe. That didn't mean things were easy, but everything seemed to be working out.

That was, until she came face-to-face with her past and she found there were secrets aplenty to go around.


	2. Chapter One- Game of Hide and Seek

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity juggles her hobby, job, and boyfriend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off, thank you all so much for your comments and kudos! They are much appreciated. Second, I apologize for not responding to said comments yet. It's been a very busy week, but I promise to get to them by the weekend. Third, I hope you continue to enjoy!

Technically speaking, she wasn't supposed to be here. However, if there was one thing Felicity Smoak hated more than twiddling her thumbs and knowing nothing, it was mysteries. Mysteries needed to be solved, pronto. It was the reason she quit her comfortable job at Queen Consolidated and ended up working as one of the IT's at Starling City Police Department.

Well, one of the reasons anyway.

Still, she knew no one would be happy she was here instead of waiting for evidence at the station, like she was supposed to.

She had never been great at following rules.

"Ms. Smoak, what are you doing here?"

Felicity looked up to see Detective Quentin Lance giving her a look that was somewhere between disapproval, exasperation, and pride. This wasn't the first time the detective had caught her at a crime scene. Although she knew this wasn't her place and, really, she was better at cracking cases behind a computer screen than she was on the field, sometimes she couldn't bear to be behind her safety net.

"I wanted to get my hands on these babies as soon as possible," she tapped the CPU of the computer she was working on. At the detective's raised brow, she also admitted, "I heard the Gree- Hood actually stuck around even while he was surrounded. I wanted to see if there was anything he may have left behind." Which he had. Besides the usual scattered arrows, the only other evidence on site was currently resting in her pocket. If he knew she was withholding evidence… Well, never mind that her mother, Donna, married the well-known and respected officer. His moral compass would have him put her in cuffs himself.

Of course, he would immediately bail her out once her mom asked him to. Just so she could kill her daughter for landing herself in trouble in the first place. Or to gossip about what it was like on the other side... One never knew with Donna Lance-Smoak.

Thankfully, the man had a tendency to be oblivious of the wrong-doings of those closest to him. She couldn't count the number of times her mom had gotten away with things right under the man's nose, from purposely throwing away the godawful cologne he owned to accidentally ruining his favorite shirt and quickly making it disappear. Never mind what her stepsister had gotten away with in her youth.

Quentin spoke her name cautiously. "Felicity, I know you're curious and eager to get this solved, but we've been at this for a year. Another hour wouldn't have killed you."

She shrugged. "You're right, it's just…" She hesitated here, knowing how he felt about the Vigilante. "He's changed, you know? One percenters are no longer his M.O. His sole M.O.," she added. Holding her breath, she waited for an answer. Felicity had never mentioned her doubts about the Hood before and didn't have a clue as to why she decided to mention it _now_ of all times. Sometimes her lack of filter really annoyed her.

Letting out a sharp exhale, he replied, "Be that as it may, he's still a criminal. No one should be above the law, you know that."

"I do, but I can't help but see the good he's doing too," came the retort and she winced, ready for the backlash she was sure to receive.

Surprisingly, there was none. Instead, there was a sole sigh of exasperation. "It's too late for philosophical debates about right and wrong-"

"Black and white and grey areas," she added, smiling when he chuckled.

"We should be done here soon, so how about you leave it be? I'll make sure the guys are careful while bagging and tagging. We just need to make sure everyone goes home to their families tonight and the machines will be there in the morning."

She knew when she was being dismissed. "Sure." Just as she was walking away, the detective called to her.

Turning, she was surprised when he added, "These people? They're going home because of the Hood and most of the responsible parties have been caught to await trial. The lines get more and more blurred." Realizing it was her stepfather that'd spoken rather than the detective, Felicity smiled and headed to her car. Tucking herself into the mini cooper, she pulled out her cell phone, deleted a message and spread the data to the ether.

Then, taking a deep breath, she opened up an application she'd created before punching in a number she'd memorised by heart. It rang twice. Silence stretched before she was finally greeted.

"Ms. Smoak," a gravely, staticy voice spoke. "I take it you got my message?"

"I did. And before you ask, yes, I made sure to delete it and it's currently untraceable by anyone but me." She huffed.

"Digital data can easily be monitored," he pointed out.

uld

"Are _you_ seriously trying to lecture me on the evils of technology? Because let me tell you, it's a debate you're going to lose. _Badly_." The chuckle from the other end startled her. Her heart sped up, even as she scolded herself. How could a sound so obviously digital make her react this way? Her childhood bullies would have a field day with that tidbit of information.

"Point taken," he finally spoke. "I trust you."

Her breath caught. Felicity didn't understand why he trusted her and it was an even bigger mystery as to why she trusted him. Maybe that was why she continued to help him. He seemed to know a lot about her, but she didn't know much about him. All she knew was that he was trying to make the city a better, safer place, and if she could help with that, then helping the masked man in green leather was what she'd do.

This time she was the one to break the silence. "So do you have any information on the ones that got away?"

"I tracked them as far as I could, but they got away. I know you'd find them more quickly than I ever could on foot. There's also a flash drive waiting for you at home. It's taped underneath your mailbox."

She pressed her lips together, nodding, before remembering he couldn't see her. "Alright." This was the norm. He always left her little things near her job or apartment. They had already had the safety argument for this one. She was surprised no one had caught on by now, really.

"I'll call back…" he paused and it made Felicity grin a bit that he didn't want to assume.

"Give me about thirty-six hours. That's plenty of time to eat, sleep, and get to work."

"And enough time to spend with your loved ones," he pointed out.

At this, she glanced at dashboard and flinched. She'd promised her boyfriend she'd meet him almost an hour ago. Thankfully, work kept him pretty busy and he knew it was the same for her, so he didn't really worry unless she didn't show a couple of hours after they said they would. Head tilted back on the headrest, she recalled one such occurrence and preferred not to have a repeat. "Of course," she replied.

"I'll call you in a couple of days then." With that, the line cut off.

Putting her phone down, she stared at it. The Green Arrow had never bothered with goodbyes, but would it kill him for once to do so? Talk about rude. Shaking her head, she started the car and headed home. She needed to gather the flash drive before there was a chance someone discovered it. Changing, she headed to Verdant. Putting the hooded man out of mind, she smiled to herself as she thought about Oliver.

If someone had told Felicity a year ago that she would be dating the infamous Oliver Queen, she would have given them a printout of the top five psychologists and psychiatrists in town. First because they either needed intensive therapy and/or medication on top of that. Second because Oliver Queen had been presumed dead five years prior to that, along with his girlfriend, Laurel Lance, and father, Robert. And, finally, why would Oliver _Queen_ ever give her the time of day?

Except he did, he had, he _does_. Her heart sped just thinking about the day he walked to her cubicle in his family's IT department.

Activating her cell's voice command, she verbalized, “Hi, Number One. Will be there soon. Life is never dull at a police station,” paused, and commanded it to send the text. Of course, it actually read as, _Hi number 1 will b there soon_. She rolled her eyes. All this advanced tech and they couldn't at least get these things to be grammatically correct?

A few minutes later, a response came through and the small device read the message in a robotic tone, not dissimilar to the Hood's, albeit more feminine, “Especially in Starling City. I miss you, hon.”

She arrived home quickly, grabbed the drive, and dashed into the bathroom for a quick shower. Deciding between a blue, peplum dress or a dress with a red halter was tough, but she decided to go with the blue since it wasn't a special occasion, changing in record time. Deciding to catch a cab to the Glades, she texted, _On my way_ and got a smiley emoji for her troubles. She decided to up the ante and took a quick selfie of herself, blushing when the driver looked back as the front-flash lit up the back of the cab. It was rare for her to take pictures of herself like this, but there were a lot of things she hadn't done, or didn't do often, that she suddenly found herself doing since she began dating Oliver. Weekly visits to a nightclub included.

Checking her phone as soon as it buzzed, she grinned at the “Tease” he sent.

_It's only teasing if I don't plan to follow through. And believe me, I plan to follow through,_ she sent back.

**But in the meantime, you're not here and Tommy is making fun of me.**

She giggled to herself, sure that his best friend, Tommy Merlyn, was merciless in his ribbing. Not bothering to respond since she was so close to Verdant, she tucked the phone away. Ten minutes later, she was stepping out of the cab after paying her ride.

As she stepped toward the entrance, she grinned brightly at tonight's security, John Diggle and greeted him. "Hi, John."

He smiled back. "Good evening, Felicity."

"Someone call in sick tonight?" she asked, sympathetically. John was Oliver's head of security after he ‘fired’ him as his personal bodyguard and let his mom, Moira, know that John's talents were being wasted on simply babysitting him. Although Felicity concurred that Oliver needed protection, especially when he was kidnapped during his first week back, she also knew he was tired of being followed around.

The compromise was that John teach him self-defense and she had even joined them a couple of times. As a veteran, he had a different method of teaching than her stepsister, but both were just as good. Sara had even swung by the mansion once to spar with the large man and help bring Oliver down a peg or two. She had a hunch about her boyfriend's knowledge of fighting, but was willing to wait for him to share.

John's reply interrupted her thoughts. "Yeah, Shawn came down with the flu. After the whole breakout last year, he was reluctant to get his shot so now he has to suffer the consequences."

She winced, hating even the thought of an injection and he smirked, knowing exactly what she was thinking.

"Anyway, Oliver should be inside somewhere," he said, letting her through.

"Thanks, John," she waved, letting the pounding rhythm of the music contained in the four walls of Verdant drown out the shouting complaints as she walked right in. Just like every night, the club was packed. Once a steel factory that belonged to his family, Oliver had converted it into a nightclub and, ever since its opening, it has been the hottest spot in town.

Instead of looking around for her boyfriend, she headed straight to the bar. Waving at the bartender, she grinned as she was poured her usual blended margarita, glass rimmed with sugar, not salt, and a strawberry for taste and flourish. "Thanks, Sara," she grinned and hummed after a sip of her drink. Sara Lance made the best drinks ever, which was no doubt the first reason Tommy practically begged her to work at Verdant a few night a week despite her already having a job.

"Anytime, Felicity." Her stepsister smiled back. "Looking for Ollie?"

"Yeah, but I'm in no hurry." She winked. "How's the dojo doing?"

"Oh, you know. Clients complaining that I'm going too hard on them, Sensei telling them to suck it up or they'll never even manage a brown belt. She's amazing when she's putting them all in line." Sara smirked, licking her lips.

At that, Felicity laughed. "That she is." Sensei Nyssa Rupal was a force to be reckoned with. She'd only taking a few self-defense classes, at Sara's insistence, and could tell there was something going on between the two. When she asked the blonde, she saw Sara blush for the first time since meeting her a few years ago. When Oliver… came back, he knew he was in trouble with two blonde whirlwinds getting along so well.

As they continued to chat, she felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise and her breath hitched. Someone was watching her. Sara made her another drink before she was called away and Felicity casually leaned against the bar, scanning the room.

There, in a sea of people, was Oliver, but for all she cared, there could have been monkey bats flying around and she wouldn't have noticed them, caught in the intense blue gaze of the man stalking his way towards her. In a striking grey suit, he exuded confidence and grace for someone larger than life. Suddenly, she couldn't wait to have him and his sleeves weren't even rolled up yet. Draining her drink, she strode forward and didn't pause as she stood toe-to-toe with him in the middle of the dancefloor. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him towards her.

He hummed as their lips met, his own arms wrapping around her waist, gripping her sides and trying to pull her closer. Her nails scraped at his scalp when his hand not-so-accidentally grazed her ass and she opened herself to him, tongues meeting. Her grip tightened. If they didn't stop _right now_ she was going to push him on the floor and have her way with him.

Panting as she pulled away, she had to resist the urge to drag him away, taking in his eyes, full of passion and want, lipstick staining his lips. She could feel the burn of his scruff around her mouth and wanted more than anything to feel that sensation elsewhere.

Oliver, apparently, had no such restrictions tonight and took her hand, leading her upstairs. Once they were behind the closed door of his office, he grinned at her boyishly and pulled her in for a shockingly chaste kiss. "Hello."

"I thought we'd already made our hellos downstairs." She grinned, leaning in to wipe the fuchsia on his face.

"That was, ‘I missed you,’" he corrected, pressing a kiss to her wrist. He continued, peppering kisses straight up her arm, grumbling when her dress got in the way of her shoulder. As payback, he grazed his teeth up the column of her neck.

"Oliver," she moaned when he reached under her ear. "I thought we had dinner plans?"

"Could call, switch up the times. Or we could always head back to mine, order in, give the table to an unsuspecting couple," he whispered, nipping at her earlobe, lips skimming just over her industrial piercing.

"You promised me sushi," she complained. Her hands reached inside his suit jacket, making her argument redundant, the sneaky things. "On a _table_ ," she reminded him, when he chuckled.

"You're right," he said, pulling away abruptly. Before she could protest, his lips were on hers once more and she tugged at the lower one in retaliation for all his teasing. "Now you know how I felt after those texts," he teased when they finally parted.

Before she could retort, Tommy walked in.

"Oliver, how many times have I told you to put a sock on the knob when you and Felicity are getting frisky? A guy can only take so much sexual tension!"

Felicity shook her head and laughed, stepping toward the small mirror hanging on the opposite wall. She could still see the dark haired man with mischievous eyes on its surface. "Hi, Tommy."

"But then I couldn't rub in your face how lucky I am to have Felicity."

"Only because you saw her first."

"Standing right here," she sangsong, turning around and facing them with hands on her hips.

"You know we love you, Felicity." Tommy leaned in to give her a kiss on the cheek, winking at his best friend.

Oliver rolled his eyes. "You're so lucky you're not a threat."

"I can be a threat!" he whined.

"No, you can't, and aren't, because Felicity has taste. Don't you, hon?"

"Or I had a psychotic breakdown when you asked me out which caused me to say yes." She grinned when he pouted. If Tommy weren't still here, she'd do something about that.

"Hey! Whose side are you on?"

Grabbing the purse she'd left on the desk, she walked out, looking over her shoulder to retort, "Mine and my stomach's. And my stomach wants sushi. Later, Tommy!"

It didn't take long for Oliver to catch up.


	3. Chapter Two: Part of the Screenplay

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry, guys. I'm so sorry. This just has NOT been my week. I will be changing my update day to Fridays as it gives me more time to edit and it's the one day I have plenty of time between jobs. Thank you, as always, for the reviews and kudos! I appreciate each and every one.

Felicity growled in frustration and just barely resisted the urge to slam her hands on the keyboard. Just. If looks could kill, the CPU would have been smoking from a fried motherboard and half of Starling City would be suffering from a power outage. Groaning, she stretched, massaging the back of her neck and wishing Oliver were here to do it for her. The thought gave her pause and a flash of guilt came over her.

If Oliver were here, then then he'd wonder what she was working on. If she explained to him that she was looking for the rest of the gang members involved in the hostage situation from last night, he would think nothing of it. Maybe he would wonder why she was working on her personal computer, but it wouldn't bring up any red flags. After all, she worked for the police. Why wouldn't she be looking into these creeps? No, the guilt came from the fact that she wasn't looking for them for the cops, but for a not-so-legal man in a green hood that might not bring them in alive.

Well, that wasn't fair. The Green Arrow hadn't killed anyone in over a year and had been more or less working with the police now. Less, really, or else contacting her wouldn't be such a risk, but more because at least SCPD had disbanded the task force to bring him in. They finally what a waste of resources that was even though they didn't see the good he was doing for the city, what Felicity herself had seen when he first started, even if she didn't agree to his violent methods. He had help free her ex-boss and Oliver's stepfather, after all.

She wished she could say it was unclear to her when she began digging into her previous hacktivist days to work with the Green Arrow, that it was all a blur and she didn't know what she was doing. However, she recalled exactly when it happened because it was the first time she met Oliver face-to-face.

He'd needed help with a laptop he had just procured. It sounded lame and geeky (on her part), but it was no less perfect. They got his laptop set up fairly quickly, she showed him a few things and recommended an anti-virus. He asked if he could come to her to set up the anti-virus as he still wasn't that comfortable with the 'contraption,' he joked. She laughed, agreed, and found that the simple setup had simply been an excuse to take her out to lunch.

"As a thank you," he'd said quickly, before she could protest.

Despite telling herself that there was no way _Oliver Queen_ was interested in her as anyone more than the blonde I.T. from his family's company, she found herself agreeing to dinner the very next week.

A couple of weeks after their first date, a second impossibility happened. She met 'the Hood' and it felt as if she'd step on a rollercoaster with no way to get out. No, that wasn't right. She knew she had a choice and Felicity knew it had been the right one.

In between helping Oliver throw one of the biggest Christmas parties the family had ever seen, she also finished the task of aiding the Green Arrow in his search for the mysterious archer. She even roped a reluctant Thea into helping out. With the party, not with the Green Arrow. The party itself hadn't been perfect. She kept awkwardly looking at her phone every few minutes, Thea looked positively bored, and things seemed tense between Moira and Walter. Oliver himself seemed preoccupied with something before he vanished.

John found her, informing her that there had been a fight between the Queen siblings and that Oliver got hurt when he escaped the tense atmosphere in the mansion when he decided to go on a ride on his bike. That same night, Walter was kidnapped. Everyone was distraught and it was too much for Felicity to take.

It took some time, but the Green Arrow promised he would find her boyfriend's stepfather. There were some things he had to take care of first and, apparently, he had gotten into a fight with the mysterious archer and was severely injured.

While glad that he wasn't dead, Felicity knew that she couldn't wait. As much as she loved her job at QC, she hadn't been doing what she loved. If there was one thing she would ever thank the Green Arrow for, it was that he sparked in her the want to help people. She wasn't doing that in the company, not really. After a word with her own stepfather, she had an interview with SCPD.

She hadn't been sure about interviewing for Quentin's precinct, but the urge to help people was stronger. Within two weeks, she had her interview, quit her job, and was able to look at footage of Walter's last known sighting. Which, of course amounted to nothing.

Much like this instance. Felicity growled, her typing slowing down to jabbing a key here or there. She squinted at the screen, before relaxing her gaze, knowing she didn't need to strain her vision more than she already had.

A ping sounded and she blinked, absentmindedly checking her phone. It was a text, but it wasn't from anyone she expected (Oliver, her mother, her stepdad, Sara, the Green Arrow…). In fact, it was just a bunch of nonsense letters and numbers with an unknown number to boot. Vaguely recalling receiving an e-mail with a similar code last week and thinking it was just a junk message, she'd deleted it. This time, she screenshotted before deleting it. She could recover the e-mail and look at the code later. It was a mystery to solve for another day. There were more pressing matters to look at first. Studying the files for another hour, she finally gave herself a break.

Pouring herself a glass of wine, she tried and failed to stop her brain, mulling over the data. Everything was so spread out and didn't make much sense. It looked like whoever tried to hack the bank was only aiming for corporate and high-end accounts. This was really reminding her of college and not in a good way…

Felicity blinked. Draining the last of her beverage, she dropped back on her desk chair and her fingers were flying, opening a variety of files on different windows. Spread out, she caught the common denominator.

"Shit," she stated. Ever since meeting Oliver and helping the Green Arrow, her life's felt like some sort of bad movie plot. Cliche, overdone, and a bit exciting, if she were honest. But this was too much. Grabbing her cell phone, she sent the Green Arrow a text to let him know she found something, refraining from adding 'and you're not gonna like it.' She was just transferring. _She_ didn't like it. It was _impossible_. Well, not impossible. Just highly unlikely.

Checking her phone when it vibrated, she read, “Got a name?”

“Myron Forest,” she sent back, along with a work address.

_Anything else I need to know?_

She hesitated. And she must have hesitated a moment too long because her phone buzzed again.

“Ms. Smoak?”

Replying with a negative, she told herself to breathe. When even that's a struggle, she refilled her glass before remembering she was supposed to meet her mother in another hour. They were going to see a movie and get dinner. Deciding she had time for a shower, she tried to ignore the answer of _why_ it hurt to lie to the Green Arrow as much as it did to keep things from Oliver.

\------

They were in the middle of the movie when she noticed her phone light up. At first, she ignored it. Felicity hadn't been out with Donna in a few weeks, caught between spending time with her boyfriend and helping the Green Arrow. Oh, and actually doing her _job_. Noticing her mom looking over her, she sighed. "I'm sorry, mom. I've got to take this," she whispered apologetically.

Seeming only vaguely disappointed, Donna nodded, most of her attention on the screen.

Felicity had a seat on the edge, thankfully, so she quickly walked down the stairs, ducked at the front, made her way to the hallway, and hit the green button as soon as the screen lit up again.

"Why didn't you tell me you knew Forest?" came the modulated voice she had come to know so well.

'Shit,' she thought for the second time today. "I didn't think it was vital information."

"It is if it has to do with a virus you created."

Her breath caught. She knew one day that virus would come back to haunt her, but she never thought she'd be working with a vigilante when it did. "That was a long time ago! Are you going to tell me you think _I'm_ the one behind the hacking?"

There was a brief period of silence and Felicity held her breath. Did he really think she was capable of… 

"No. I wouldn't have asked you- asked for your help in the first place if I thought you would use your knowledge for personal gain."

It was odd, she had to admit, having someone she hardly knew believe in her that much. Her betraying mind wondered if Oliver would believe in her that much had he been in the Green Arrow's shoes. As soon as that thought finished forming, she scolded herself. Of course he would! What's more, she shouldn't be comparing her feelings for the man in green with her boyfriend. "Look," she finally spoke, "the reason why I didn't mention the virus is because I could swear Myron was the one behind the virus. Yes, I created it when I was back in college, for a lot of stupid reasons, mainly being that I wanted to prove I could. He and I are the only ones who are- who are still alive who could know about it _or_ create it. I know it's not a copy because it still carries my signature. Whoever's using it…"

"Would know you."

"Yes, but I never showed it to anyone else."

"Anyone who isn't currently alive."

"Yes," she replied, swallowing, and without thinking, she added, "My boyfriend at the time, Cooper Seldon. H-he was arrested a few years ago and took his own life only a couple of weeks later." Felicity had to remind herself to breathe. Even after all this time, his death brought a flood of guilt, and rose higher as she realized she had never even told Oliver about him. It was a painful time in her life, to be sure, and it made her who she was today, but why was she telling a man whose identity she didn't know rather than her _current boyfriend_? She had told him about previous ex-boyfriends, but never about Cooper.

"I'm sorry." If a robotic voice could sound remorseful, his sure did. "I didn't mean to drag out old wounds."

"It was a long time ago," she murmured.

"Doesn't make them any less painful."

Not for the first time, she was left wondering what had happened to the man that had turned him to a life of vigilantism. Oliver had spent five years on an island, isolated from civilization, having lost his father and then-girlfriend. She was also sure other things had happened that he wasn't quite yet willing to share, and he turned out alright. There were the nightmares, of course, and his adjustment to being back home hadn't been smooth, but he could be a lot worse. Was the Green Arrow just trying to do good like she was, with a whole different set of skills? Where did he learn to shoot arrows?

Her spiraling thoughts were interrupted. "I'll take a look at the previous night's scene, see if I can find anything that was missed. We need to find the identity of this person. And Felicity," he hesitated, before continuing, "stay safe."

"Me?" she asked, surprised. "I'm not the one going out and jumping from rooftop to rooftop and escaping the cops."

A staticy sound that might have been a chuckle sounded. When he spoke, however, he was completely serious, "If this is _your_ virus, someone might be out there following you. I'll have my associate look after you, but you need to stay vigilant too."

"Aye, aye, Captain," she quipped.

"Enjoy the rest of the evening with your mother. I apologize for the interruption." With that, the line went dead.

She was just erasing any trace that she'd been in contact with the city's vigilante, when it struck her. 'How did he know I was out with mom?' She shook her head as she finished covering their tracks and headed back in. She would worry about her stalker/guardian angel some other time. Right now, Felicity was going to focus on being a normal daughter out on a normal outing with her not-so-normal mother.

\------

Felicity murmured incoherently when she felt the bed shift. She must have at least said his name, because Oliver pressed his lips against her forehead.

"Shhh, it's just me," he whispered.

"I would hope so," she muttered, yawning and stretching before curling into him, "or else I'm going to have to change my locks."

His chuckle shifted her hair some.

"What time is it?"

"Nearing four AM."

That woke her up. "So late?" She frowned, squinting at his barely-focused face.

"It was a long night at the club. Some people couldn't get the hint and I had some paperwork to catch up on." His hands ran up and down her back, soothingly and if she didn't know any better, she'd say he was trying to distract her.

An irrational wave of irritation came over her. Paperwork that couldn't wait until tomorrow? It reminded her of last night when Donna asked how things were going with Oliver. They'd come back to her apartment and she'd poured the last bit of wine into their glasses before telling her mom that things were great. Maybe she'd been a little _too_ enthusiastic, but, besides Felicity harboring some secrets from her boyfriend, things were fine.

She shook her head mentally. She was letting her own long hours and guilt color the innocent party. It wasn't the first time he had been late, working on something for the club. She knew what she had been getting herself into when she began dating Oliver. While not a CEO-in-training like his mother wanted him to be, he was still a businessman and he worked hard to get his club up and running. The fact that so much revenue was going into the Glades thanks to Verdant's opening made her extremely proud of him. And it was only the beginning. Ignoring the niggling in her head, she snuggled closer to the warm, broad chest that was her boyfriend's, his heart beating strongly under her. "I love you." She pressed her lips against his pecs.

His arms tightened around her. "I love you, too."

\------

"I know I have to tell her, Tommy!" came Oliver's voice from down the hall.

Felicity frowned, stopping halfway between putting on her blouse. Then, realizing how silly she probably looked, she finished her task before walking across her room, her bare feet silent on the carpeted floor. The door was open, but she knew she wasn't meant to hear this conversation. His voice was low, his words coming out harsh, but clear. She moved into the bathroom before she could hear anymore. That one statement was enough to send her mind into overdrive and it could be anything. It didn't even have to be something bad!

Reminding herself that she trusted him, trusted him more than she's ever trusted anyone, and when Oliver was ready to tell her whatever it was, she'd be there. She just had to wait and not even _think_ about investigating what he was keeping from her. Groaning, she tried _very hard_ not to think about the long hours he'd been pulling at the nightclub. She'd been pulling long hours too and Oliver had never once mentioned it even when she playfully complained about them not spending enough time together recently.

Plus, she flinched when she accidentally jabbed herself with the mascara wand, it wasn't like she didn't have a secret of her own. She didn't know why she kept her interactions with the Green Arrow from her boyfriend. Whether it was his own experiences with being mistaken for 'the hood guy' or that she was afraid of putting him in danger, she had neglected to tell him, giving him white lies whenever she got caught up in researching something for the Vigilante. Just as she patted her eye dry after washing it, Felicity squeaked when a pair of strong arms wrapped around her. Rough whiskers grazed her cheek.

"Good morning," Oliver whispered, trailing his lips down her neck and making her shiver.

"Oliver," she moaned as he began sucking at the joint of her neck and shoulder. Her insides clenched as his hands spanned on her stomach and hip. Pushing back, her breath hitched, feeling the evidence of his desire. The hand on her hip trailed down, teased the edge of her skirt, and made its way back up, this time between her thighs. "Oliver," she repeated, this time in protest. "We have to get to work. You have th-that meeting with the in-investors," she whimpered at the feel of his fingertips on her center, biting her lip at the warm chuckle that puffed over her ear, knowing she lost the battle when he found her panties soaking. That didn't mean she was ready to give up. Until he thrust a finger in, making her yelp a startled, " _Oliver_ if you don't get those pants off right now-"

At the sound of his belt unbuckling, Felicity knew she'd have to make her excuses for work.

\-------

As Felicity freshened up and made herself presentable, she shooed Oliver's not-so-helping hands away. "Not that I didn't enjoy it, but was there a reason behind…?" She waved her hands below his waistline, sore but happy muscles clenching at the memories. Before Oliver, she had never known sex could be so _pleasurable_. Sure, she'd had good sex, but there was good sex, great sex, and then there was _extraordinary_ sex. Sex with Oliver was definitely the latter.

"Do I need a reason?" He gave her a playful smile, one that was meant to disarm her, but she knew him too well by now so she simply arched a brow. "Well…" His gaze traveled up her leg as she adjusted her stockings and Felicity gave a demure smile. He sighed. "Our anniversary is coming up and I wanted to begin celebrating, so how about dinner tomorrow night?"

Turning around, she approached him and helped button up his shirt. "You'll need to keep a few more shirts and maybe some pants if you continue like you did earlier." Before he could retort back, she turned his collar and he automatically slid the tie around. Once she finished tying it, she answered, "Dinner tomorrow sounds perfect. But why-?"

"There's just… just something I've been meaning to tell you and I want everything to be perfect." He pressed a chaste kiss on her lips. "Let me call Digg so he can bring the car around."

"I love you," Felicity said suddenly.

His hand stilled, phone halfway to his ear. Blue eyes staring straight into her own, warmth filled her before he could even return it with his own, "I love you." While the words were always cherished, it was all the sentiment he carried in his eyes that sealed the deal for her.

As he stepped out, she finished grabbing her things before coming to a complete and utter halt. What if she _had_ read him all wrong earlier, letting her own guilt color his intentions. What if he wasn't keeping secrets so much as he was hiding a _surprise_? She hated surprises on most occasions and Oliver knew it, but what if this was for a good cause. What if… what if he was planning to…?

"Oh frack," she whispered to herself.


	4. Chapter 3: Another Clue (That Leads to You)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity is kidnapped, figures things out, and runs from Oliver. Not necessarily in that order.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry. I have no excuses. It was completed, but not edited. Life was- is crazy, but last week, I finally quit one part of my job and edited the rest. To make up for such a long, unexpected wait, I am posting the last three parts of this story in one go. I hope you enjoy and thank you so much for reading my little story.

In order to distract herself, Felicity decided to recover the e-mail she had deleted and pulled up the texted code. With nothing better to do as she ran a program to trace her own virus, she was embarrassed to see how easy it was to crack the code. As the numbers appeared on screen, she realized with dawning horror that the texts connected to her stepfather's current case. It wasn't just any code. It was a code she had created years ago, even before the virus she'd personally created. The virus that was now being used to wreak havoc. After creating it in college, she made sure to erase all traces of it after… She couldn't understand how anyone got their hands on it. And _no one_ else knew the code.

The only person she could think of was _his_ roommate, Mycroft, but he was a dead end after the Green Arrow went to interrogate him. While easy to replicate a virus, it wouldn't hold her signature as this one did. The only other person it could have been… Well, they didn't exist anymore and he would ne-. Felicity shook herself and reached for her office phone. She needed to call Quentin, who would _not_ be happy with what she had to tell him. While one mystery was solved, more questions followed and if there was one thing she detested more than someone using her virus to scam people out of their money, it was mysteries.

\-------

Felicity sighed as she got home. She had been right. When she presented her findings, she had promptly been removed as the lead forensics technician. Knowing it was bound to happen, she stepped aside with no fuss. Her stepdad, on the other hand, was _not_ happy, and though he tried to hide it, he was worried. After making sure everything was processed correctly, he'd taken an early lunch and they went to a diner a few blocks away, rather than the usual cop hangout, and asked her if she was okay.

"No one would blame you if you took some time off."

With that, Felicity knew her mom had told him about her college days.

"Yes, they would. I'm already off the case and that's enough distance. I need to know who could have used my virus to endanger the people in Star City National Bank. I'm not saying questionable people weren't victimized economically, but those who work in the bank, every day employees, the civilians that were conducting their business, could have been killed if it weren't for the Green Arrow."

Ignoring the reference to the vigilante, Quentin went right to the matter at hand. "The truth is that we may never find out who did it, now that we've handed the case over to the FBI." They scowled at the same time, then laughed at their simultaneous reaction.

Quentin hated mysteries as much as she did.

As they sobered, he inquired once again, "Are you sure you're up for their questioning?"

She took a breath, slowly letting it out. "I am," she replied with conviction. "What happened… it happened a long time ago and it was the mistake of young people who thought it was them against the world, that certain rules and policies and laws weren't there for a reason. We screwed up and we all suffered consequences for our mistakes. Some more than others." She bore through the silence that followed, doing her best not to squirm under her stepfather's ever-observant gaze. While, yes, she had learned her lesson in finding ways to bend the rules, that didn't mean she'd _stepped aside_. Sometimes Felicity wondered if Quentin knew she was helping the Green Arrow, or at least suspected. But he would've said something already. Right?

\-------

Felicity removed her clothes promptly and stepped into the shower, letting the warm water wash away the day's events. Recalling the phone conversation she overheard between Oliver and Tommy, Felicity thought about calling Oliver to cancel their plans for the evening, but thought about how eager he seemed to be for tonight. Besides, spending a lot of time at the club, her boyfriend had given no indication that there was anything wrong. She, on the other hand… Shaking her head to keep the stray thoughts at the back of her mind, she instead focused on the problem at hand. Just because there were problems in other aspects of her life didn't mean Oliver was one of them. Namely, the fact that the FBI was now on the case.

Stepping out of the shower, Felicity dried up and grabbed her phone, shooting Oliver a text to let him know she'd gotten out of work early. Ignoring the immediate response of, 'Is everything alright?' she dialed an unfamiliar number. After a few rings, she heard static on the other end. "Do you want the bad news or worst news first?"

"Hello to you too, Ms. Smoak." Although the voice was robotic, she could have sworn he was amused. He'd tried to make a funny, anyhow. "The bad news first."

Huh. "Really? Usually people want to hear the bad news first and then the good news. In this case, emphasize on case, there is no good news, I assure you. Though, technically you chose the bad news, it's still first, but if we're going by the normal rules, you were supposed to choose the worst news first, so the bad could outweigh, or at least, balance, the worst. Not that I'm surprised you did the exact opposite of what's expected." She took a deep breath.

"The news, Ms. Smoak." Yeah, that was definitely amusement.

"The FBI has taken jurisdiction." Silence. "The worst news… it's probably my fault."

"I highly doubt that you're the criminal mastermind we're looking for."

"No," she agreed, "but it _is_ my virus. Or was? Point is, _someone_ is using it and even had the balls to use a code I used with… a close friend, in college, but they're no longer around so it's impossible to be receiving these messages, unless they were timed, but then they would have just gone to my old number and-"

He interrupted. "Are you saying you were receiving personal messages from the person who could be behind all this?"

"Yes," she hesitated, before continuing, "texts and a few emails. I didn't put it together until this morning and I needed to let my- Detective Lance know right away, which is when we realized I needed to be pulled out and the FBI called in."

"You'll be questioned." It wasn't a question.

"Mmm. But I can still follow through… unofficial channels."

"Never doubted you. I'll check in after your interview." With that, the line went dead.

Before she could question if that was actually worry and care for her, her phone rang.

Seeing Oliver's name on her screen, she was relieved her previous conversation ended in time for her to answer this one.

"Felicity?" he asked before she could even greet him, voice anxious. She must have acknowledged him somehow because he continued, "Are you alright? I just got off the phone with Quentin."

She became wary. "What did he tell you?"

"Just that you'd had a rough day at work."

Hesitating, she finally spoke, "I wish I could tell you what happened, really I do, but-"

"Confidentiality. I know." He paused. "If you'd prefer not to go out tonight, I understand."

"I want to go," she blurted before she could think about it.

"Are you sure?" he asked, after a moment.

"I am. I want to see you tonight."

"That doesn't mean we can't have a night in."

The temptation was there.

"No. I could use the distraction."

"Alright." He paused. "I love you."

The weight on her shoulders alleviated slightly and knew she had made the right choice. "I love you."

\-------

After a nap and dressing for her date with Oliver, she began to feel a tinge of regret for agreeing to the date. "Is the blindfold really necessary?" She wondered if he'd decided for a night in after all and wasn't completely opposed to it. It'd be nice to forget about her discovery in more pleasant ways.

His lips grazed the shell of her ear and carefully spun her around. Felicity shivered, swearing she could feel his admiring gaze as if he were caressing her entire body with the very tips of his fingers. Before she could even try to convince him to stay in, he broke the silence.

"Come on. We're cutting it close for our reservation."

"I'm not the one who started it," she spoke breathlessly, "But I'll happily end it." She reached out to skim her short nails over his suit jacket, playing with the tiny buttons of his shirt.

He groaned. Instead of kissing her, like she hoped he would, he took her hand and lead her outside. Hearing a distinct chuckle and a door open, she blushed, knowing it was Diggle who was driving them tonight.

As often as she and Oliver had played these games, she wasn't used to someone knowing their business. Once doors closed and opened and closed again, the engine started and her boyfriend finally took her lips with his. His fingers ran through her hair, which she'd left down. Felicity hoped she was able to control the small noises that tended to escape her mouth, but she wasn't confident she did.

Happily distracted, she didn't even realize they'd arrived at their destination until Oliver gently tugged her hand.

Once Diggle drove off, her boyfriend took the blindfold off. When she saw where they were, she realized she should've known. A wide smile spread across her face. "This is lovely, Oliver." All doubts disappeared.

He smiled brilliantly, happy that she liked his surprise. "We haven't been here since our first anniversary and we have a lot of special memories here. I know you've been dealing with a lot at work and today couldn't have been easy, so I thought we could create more good memories."

She felt completely overwhelmed, her heart racing and eyes misting over. "I love you," she repeated.

He bowed down to press a firm kiss on her lips. "I love you."

Entering their favorite Italian restaurant, the hostess seated them and right away a waiter poured water into their glasses. Waiting for them on the table was Felicity's favorite aperitivo.

Suddenly, the conversation she overheard earlier came flooding back. As they ate, they reminisced, shared random tidbits that had been forgotten or gone unsaid in the passing months. Their entrees came and Felicity tried not to notice how nervous Oliver seemed. Out of sight, she noticed him fiddling with something on his leg. On his leg or in his… 

Her back went rigid and her heart rate increased. She saw Oliver frown in worry, but before he could inquire what was wrong, and before she could come up with a plausible excuse, she stood up, knocking down her chair, which bumped into someone behind her, electing an exclamation. "I-I'm sorry, I-" She just barely turned her head to the person behind her to apologize before dashing out of the restaurant.

"Felici-" Just as Oliver stood to follower her, the lights went out.

She didn't hear him or see anything of what was going on as she ran. She hadn't run far or too fast (just a few stores down), but she was gasping for breath. After a few minutes, she realized she might actually be in danger of hyperventilating. Opening her clenched eyes, she was met with blurry surroundings. Blinking every few seconds, she timed her breathing. Slowly, her heart rate decreased. "Okay, Felicity Smoak. You just need to relax. You don't know what was going to happen. He could have had an itch in his pants- leg, on his leg. He could have been hiding his little tic." Time stranded on an island had given Oliver _plenty_ of tics. He was lucky to have survived with his sanity intact. "You _do not_ know for a fact that he was going to _propose_ to you."

But it made the most sense. With his conversation with Tommy earlier today, the fancy dinner… What else could it be? And, really, was she so opposed to it? She hesitated.

The answer should be _no_ , of course not. But could she really accept while continuing to keep secrets from him? Was there any difference between dating Oliver seriously for two years and getting engaged?

Well, no. While there was a difference between seeing someone and _actively_ planning to get married to them, she loved Oliver. Staying as they were or planning a wedding were only different in that their commitment would be recognized by the state of Washington. She'd been keeping her work with the Green Arrow a secret for so long that she wasn't sure when it became so _easy_. What would she do?

Although she had no real answer, she couldn't just leave her boyfriend hanging. Knowing he would know to give her her space (and loving him all the more for it), she began to make her way back.

'Okay, Felicity. You can do this. The first thing you need to do is tell him you two need to talk. No, that sounds too much like the beginning of a break up and you do _not_ want to break up. Right…? Right! So, first you need to apologize for running out like that. Next, you need to ask him if we can go home because it's been a long day and you would like him to stay with you for the next few days. _Then_ you can ask him if you can talk and you need to _tell him_ what you've been up to all this time. But what if he tries to propose before you can work up the courage to talk? No, it's better to tell him now. He needs to know what he's in for, what he's _been_ in for because otherwise your relationship will continue to be nothing but lies. Though, to be fair, I've never actually had to _lie_ to him before.' It was true. Somehow, her work with the Green Arrow had never clashed with her relationship with Oliver. But now that her two worlds were hurdling towards one another, she needed to come clean. 'And maybe tell Oliver-'

She cut herself off, frowning as she noticed the darkened restaurant. She had not been gone that long, so they couldn't be closed already. She jumped, just barely holding in a yelp of surprise as she heard a gunshot. Scrambling for her phone, she cursed as she realized she'd left her purse in the restaurant. Remembering there was the one payphone just around the block, she took a step towards it and froze as she heard an audible click.

"Don't move." The cheesy, but assertive, phrase caused her to hold her breath.

"L-look. I don't have any money. I left my things in the restaurant. I'm betting that's where a buddy or two are, right? And you're their getaway?" She took a breath and made to turn, freezing once again, this time when she felt the press of cold metal on her back. "Okay, okay. When you said don't move, you meant _don't move_. I just thought you didn't want me to run for help. But you can still run, walk. If you walk away now, get your buddies and out of here, I promise no charges will be pressed." She hoped he would take the offer. Someone should have called in the power outage or-

Her last thought as pain pulsed through her head was, 'Yes. I would've gone back to Oliver and said yes.'

\------

Felicity groaned, her head throbbing, worse than any migraine she'd ever had. She made to hold her head, but was stopped by a tight bite around her wrists. Blinking repeatedly to get some moisture in her eyes so she could see clearly with her contacts, she found it didn't help much in the dark room. She _did_ hear low murmuring which she could just make out.

"I was never told I had to leave Rick on his own!" It was the man who knocked her out cold.

"Rick was stupid, going into the restaurant without checking to see if she was even there. He let himself get caught. And even though I told you not to hurt her, I'll give you Rick's half as well, just so you can keep your mouth shut."

That voice… it sounded so familiar, but she couldn't place it. Shifting her body carefully, she found her legs were unbound, but her dress was bunched up mid-thigh which she did not care for. Closing her eyes for a moment, she rolled her shoulders and neck. Her head still ached and she winced when he heard loud, rhythmic clapping.

A tall, thin man appeared before her. "I never thought I'd see you so frazzled in fancy getup. The Felicity Smoak I knew was all darkness with little care on how she looked. It was all about the brain, which I hope my hired henchman didn't damage. Though the peroxide might have taken care of that."

Taking in his perfectly coiffed hair, a button down and dark jeans, her jaw dropped. "Cooper." Voice raspy, as if she hadn't used it in days, she cleared her throat. "What?" Tears of shock welled in her eyes, this time her difficulty with seeing had nothing to do with dryness. Her mind flashed to the last time she had ever seen Cooper Seldon, behind a window in an orange jumpsuit just before she got the news that he'd hung himself rather than face charges. She had felt so overwhelmingly guilty that she destroyed her so-called super virus and started a new chapter in her life. A life where she would live on the straight and narrow, keeping to herself so she couldn't hurt anyone again, so no one would hurt her. Oliver's face then came to mind.

"Aww, are you that happy to see me? There's no need to cry, baby, I'm here." He approached her, putting a hand on her cheek and the tears rolled down. 

She swore to herself if she got out of this alive, if the Green Arr- if the police found her and she got out of this alive, she would tell Oliver _everything_. She wondered if he even knew she was missing, her boyfriend, that was. With her very being, she knew he would have gone looking for her after he got out of the restaurant. The dark restaurant, where Rick's buddy had gone inside, probably with a gun of his own. He'd gotten himself caught, but how many people had he hurt in the meanwhile? What if Oliver had gotten hurt?

It seemed she had not learned her lesson and she scolded herself for hoping, once again, for the Green Arrow to come and rescue her. Or the police, whichever came first. Until any sort of help could, _would_ , arrive, she needed different types of answers than her feelings for two, very different men. Wishing she could move Cooper's hand off of her and wipe her face, maybe even punch the smug look on _his_ face, she instead settled for asking, "How?"

The smug smirk turned into a scoff and he thankfully removed his hand, whirling around and walking towards a station with lots of blinking lights. Realizing it was his own personal setup, she focused on the fact that it really was Cooper using and abusing her virus all along, just like he had years ago. What she thought impossible was merely so because she didn't have all the facts and she _hated_ that. The guilt, the remorse, the _mourning_ she'd gone through was thrown in her face at a living Cooper strutting before her.

"The FBI offered me a deal I couldn't refuse, but in order to work for them and keep me from others that could use me against them, they had to fake my death. In sticking it to the man, I _became_ the man. All to protect you. And how do you repay me? You move on, become this bleached blonde, low-leveled, IT _girl_ who works for Queen Consolidated and _is fucking the future CEO_. What happened, Felice? You were so much better than that."

With every word he uttered, her heart beat faster and Felicity saw red. "You think you knew me at all? If you did, you wouldn't have hacked the Department of Education using _my_ virus and fucking yourself over," she spat out. "I _mourned_ you. I told myself I should have known better than to create such a thing, that I should have known you would use it for your own benefit. But that's just it, isn't it? I didn't know you at all. I loved you and you used me."

" _I loved you and you left me behind_. Everything, _everything_ I did, I did it for you! For us! I thought, 'If I do this, if I work for _the man_ for a few years, they'll leave off and I can find Felicity and we'll run off together, settle down somewhere nice. No. Instead, last year, I come across a rag magazine telling me 'In a fairytale twist, Oliver Queen is dating an employee of his family company, a plain, modest girl who works in the IT department named Felicity Smoak, MIT alumni.' 'MIT alumni,' like it was _nothing_. Is that what you've let yourself become? Second class? You're a _genius_ , Felicity. You could be working _anywhere_ as VP, you could have created your own company by now. Instead, _you_ became worse than the man. You became the shadow."

She clenched her hands together and grit her teeth. He had no right to tell her anything. He was the one who screwed up his own life. It was his decisions that led him to where he was now. But as he continued, she wondered if she wasn't angrier at herself. He… had a point. She could have made her way up the ladder at QC, despite her relationship with Oliver. Sure, she would have had to deal with jabbing remarks, but she would know that it was her own merits that took her where she was. Instead of quitting and going to work for the police for less pay and more work hours, she could have decided to start her own company. Instead, she let herself be pulled into a life of being a vigilante behind-the-scenes, working with a man who took it upon himself to bring justice to those hurting Starling City. How was she any different than Cooper?

Before she could utter a word in defense, or defeat, she felt the whistle of air flutter her messy hair, heard Cooper cry out, and saw an arrow land right into the equipment behind him.


	5. Chapter Four: Your Sweet Disguise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity comes out of the stressful situation she was put in and realizes what she should have known all along.

Unable to turn fully, all Felicity could see were arrows flying and Cooper dodging them, holding his arm where she made out a tear in his shirt. Sparks flew and she flinched on instinct. her line of sight was blocked suddenly and all she could see was a green, leather-clad ass and a quiver. 'Not the time,' she scolded herself. She couldn't help her startled yelp as she heard a shot go off. Ready for the second, she clamped her mouth shut. The Green Arrow didn't need to be distracted as they were being shot at by a nerd who usually spent time _behind_ a computer using a remote control to shoot fake people.

"I didn't know the Vigilante spent his time helping mere tech girls. Or do you get off on aiding damsels in distress? No wonder Starling City is named one of the worst cities to live in across the nation," Cooper called out from a distance. She couldn't tell for certain, what with the larger-than-life body before her, but she was sure he had found cover.

"The only reason the city is the way it is, is because of men like you who get off on what they gain instead of the good of others. Unlike some, however, you're nothing but a coward who hides behind a computer instead of a bank account. But you were trying to fix that, weren't you? And all with the virus that a _mere tech girl_ created at eighteen."

Felicity wondered how he knew what age she was when she made the virus (she was sure she hadn't told him) and with that distraction, a bang sounding from behind startled her. Stiffening, she let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding when she heard her stepdad call out the usual introduction. Her gaze turned back to the Green Arrow and she wondered why he hadn't left yet. He never stuck around when the cops arrived, but he was unmoving, arrow still pointed in what she assumed was Cooper's location.

"I suggest you put the gun down now, kid. If he doesn't put an arrow in you, I sure as hell will put a bullet between your eyes for taking _my_ daughter."

Cooper's laughter echoed, but it was cut short by the whiz of an arrow and a pained shout.

"I wasn't serious!" came Quentin's exasperated voice.

"Yes, you were. When it comes to the safety of your family, you don't joke around. It's just in everyone's best interest if the department's best detective isn't put on leave or fired for misconduct," the Green Arrow said, matter of fact.

Said detective muttered under his breath before calling for backup and an ambulance.

Suddenly feeling like she couldn't breathe, her head throbbed and vision blurred.

"Ms. Smoak?" A glove-clad hand touched her shoulder and she tried to focus on the modulated voice. "Take a deep breath," he commanded and she followed, filling her lungs until she could no more. "Hold it." She held and a second later, he said, "Let it out slowly." The air rushed back out instead and she almost choked. Her head was tilted back.

She heard her stepdad's voice, but couldn't make out what he was saying. It was like her brain and chest were being squeezed, her heart beating rapidly under the pressure. The Green Arrow responded, but she was too unfocused to listen. The tightness on her wrists was loosened and she fell forward, onto a leather-clad chest. So much leather.

"Felicity," a gravelly voice sounded right by her ear. "I need you to listen to me. You need to take deep breaths, hold them for a few seconds, then let it out _slowly_ , and you need to stay awake, at least until the paramedics come and they tell you otherwise."

Footsteps echoed away and she did as she was told, clinging to the man in leather, letting the material cool her down a bit, and the heat keep her grounded.

After what seemed like hours, the pressure was lifted and she could see and hear clearer. Before she could say anything, they were interrupted by incoming sirens and she was lifted into the air. Letting out a short yelp, she wrapped her arms around his neck, even as he held her securely to him.

"What-?" Quentin questioned and this time, she was facing him. He had Cooper handcuffed, hands to the front of him because one of his hands was… utterly destroyed.

"She was having a mild panic attack. She's been through a lot. You take care of that one, I'll take her to the ambulance."

The detective looked like he wanted to argue, but seeing her comfortably in the arms of the Vigilante he'd been tracking for months, he held his tongue. She was sure she would be questioned later. Hell, she had questions of her own, but for now, she was just glad to be out of Cooper's clutches.

Just as he had told her stepdad, the Green Arrow took her to one of two ambulances waiting outside. She shivered as the cool air caressed her arms and legs. She had run out of the restaurant without her coat.

Setting her down on the cot, he said, "I'm going to make sure Mr. Seldon is transferred securely on his way to get medical attention. You're safe now." With a final squeeze to her shoulder, he turned to the paramedics and ordered them to look after her or Quentin Lance's rage would not be the only one they had to face, he strode off towards the detective's car.

The sirens made her head throb again, but it was a quick ride, her mind preoccupied, thinking about everything that had happened. Thankfully, she didn't have another panic attack, but she was feeling overwhelmed by everything that had occurred. "What time is it?" she asked one of the paramedics.

Checking her watch, she replied, "11:22."

11:22. She and Oliver had gone to dinner around 7:30, she ran out not long after that. Four hours that felt like a lifetime. Where was Oliver? Was he okay? Just because Cooper's other hired help got caught doesn't mean there weren't any injuries… She breathed deeply, holding her breath and letting it out slowly, just as the Green Arrow taught her.

When they arrived at the hospital, she was checked in quickly. It was concluded she had a concussion and bruises on her arms and legs, the darkest ones being thin strips around her wrists. The examination was extremely thorough and she was feeling more than a little uncomfortable at being prodded. Thankfully, the doctor was swift and she was shown into her room for the night. As much as she would like to go home, she knew it was in her best interest to stay. Just as they had settled her into her room, a very familiar room, the door was thrown open.

Before the doctor could protest, a small blur threw itself at her.

"Felicity!" a worried voice cried out. "We heard what happened. Are you alright? Did he hurt you? Where's my brother?" She looked around the room, as if he were right there and she had just missed the tall, athletic man.

"Thea, get off of her. The poor girl has gone through a difficult time and she needs care, not a bulldoze hug," Moira Queen admonished her daughter.

"Oops." She stared at the blonde guiltily, but Felicity was having none of that.

Bringing her arms up, she lightly hugged the younger woman. "I'm fine, Thea, just a little sore, but nothing some medication and a few days of relaxation won't fix." Watching as Moira thanked the doctor, Dr. Lee nodded at her patient before leaving.

Just before the door closed behind the doctor, someone stepped in.

Felicity's heard, which had steadily been beating faster, plummeted. What if Oliver got hurt in the restaurant? But wouldn't his family know about it?

Walter Steele craned his neck around an elegant flower arrangement. "Ms. Smoak, I wish you a speedy recovery and that justice is heavy on the person who did this to you."

"Thank you, W-Walter," she stumbled across his name a bit, considering he had been her boss' boss once upon a time. Smiling and hoping it looked genuine, she looked back at the door.

"I also brought these."

This time, a laugh escaped and a smile reached her eyes as a bag of grapes was presented to her. "Thank you."

"My pleasure." He walked over to his wife and she murmured something to him. Placing a hand on her back, he rubbed it soothingly and whispered something in return.

Moira then turned to her. "Have the police taken your statement?"

She blinked. She and Moira Queen had an odd relationship. She obviously approved of her and Oliver, but she'd always been a little cold to her. Case in point, these were the first words she'd directed to Felicity. Silently, she shook her head.

"Would you like one of us to stay with you when they do? I assume it won't be Detective Lance."

"No, it probably won't be him. He- the FBI took over the case earlier to- yesterday," she corrected, glancing at the clock in the room and realizing it was already one in the morning.

"Any one of us would be willing to keep you company."

Felicity was touched by her offer and, when an agent finally did come in to question her an hour later, she asked Moira to stay. One look from the older woman and there were no arguments from Agent Thomas about her staying in to support her.

After what seemed like the longest hour of her life, answering questions about her previous relationship with Cooper, about the virus (and internally holding her breath, hoping they believed her about the virus being Cooper's idea - just as he had first admitted), and the emails and texts she'd been receiving, she was finally left to rest. She was sure, had Agent Thomas gone on any longer, Moira would have kicked him out. For that, she was thankful. Despite her rocky relationship with the Queen matriarch, Felicity knew that she loved her family and would do anything and everything in her power to protect them. It seemed, by extension, she had put her under her wing as well.

Before she could thank the older woman, however, the door burst open.

"Oliver! Where have you been!" Moira scolded more than asked.

Without a word, he handed Felicity her glasses and the love she had for him threatened to burst through. She hadn't even realized how much she was missing a clearer vision after she'd removed her contacts. Putting them on, she took in his rumpled suit and his expression stalled her heart for a second.

His eyes, always belying his emotions, shone with fear. He ignored his mother and stared straight at her. "I- How are you feeling?" he asked, softly.

She tilted her head and gave him what she hoped was an encouraging smile. "I'm fine. Just a few bruises and a goose egg on my head. Nothing a few days of rest won't help."

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I wasn't here right away. The restaurant-"

She shook her head. "Don't. None of what happened is your fault."

Neither saw nor heard Moira step out of the room and close the door.

"But I should have gone after you right away. Instead I-"

"No. If anything, it's my fault. I shouldn't have run off like that. I don't know what got into me. Suddenly I just…" she trailed off, a sob bursting forth and she covered her face, her shoulders shaking.

"Hey." Warm, large hands encompassed the sides of her head and she shuddered. The tears wouldn't stop, but just that simple touch gave back the ability to breathe again.

"What happened in the restaurant? I saw from outside something was going on, but then…" She finally removed her hands from her face, wiping the errant tears that wouldn't stop. Giving up, she wiped and adjusted her glasses, looking him over. "A-are you alright? You're not hurt, are you?" Besides looking all ruffled, he didn't look hurt. Taking his hand, she looked down when he hissed.

His knuckles were scraped and bruised, looking exactly as they did when Oliver had first opened Verdant. Somehow, he always wound up in a fight or two and sometimes, it wasn't just his knuckles that wound up injured. Thankfully, he had finally allowed security to remove the rowdiest men who wound up in his club instead of doing it himself. The papers had made it seem like it was Ollie Queen, unchanged. Felicity knew better.

He shrugged. "It's fine. I- Felicity, why did you run off?"

Her heart rate picked up, hesitating to respond and, sure he would notice, she asked again. "Are you alright?" Carefully, she caressed above his injuries.

He gave pause as well and never was she more thankful she wasn't hooked up to a monitor. "I- well, the guy, he turned his back to me so I took a chance."

For the first time in a long time, she felt like he was lying to her, but what she couldn't figure out was _why_. Maybe she was wrong all along. Maybe he _wasn't_ going to propose to her.

"Why don't you get some rest?" he said, gently running his fingers through her tangled hair. She was sure she looked a mess and yet, not once did Felicity doubt him. Not until now.

"No." As much as it hurt her heart, she shook him off. "What happened in that restaurant?"

He sighed and it bothered her slightly. He should know by now she wasn't going to drop it. "I was about to run after you, was just getting the bill settled," a flash of guilt shot through her once more, "The waiter was taking so long that I was just going to leave my card there and get it later, but then this guy showed up and he was holding the hostess at gunpoint…" He took in a breath. "We were in there awhile. I honestly thought people were going to be harmed before the police could get there. It was pure luck that I got a go at the guy and that the gun didn't go off." He squeezed her hand tight when her breath hitched. "People were crying and he let the hostess out of his sight for a second, so I tackled him. He was surprised and dropped the gun. The police got there soon after. Your dad was with them."

Felicity, who had been running her unoccupied hand through his hair and over his shoulders, stilled. Oh, that couldn't have gone well.

"He was besides himself when he realized I was there and you weren't. We looked around for you, but there were no traces." He squeezed her hand tighter and if she didn't know him as well as she did, she would fear him breaking it. His grip finally relaxed and he breathed out. "You'd left everything in your purse. Your wallet, your cell. We didn't know where you'd gone. I wanted to keep looking, but Quentin insisted I go back to the station with him so I could tell him everything that happened. Before I could give my statement, though, that asshole was being brought in and started laughing, telling us we would never find you. I- I may not have handled the situation well…"

She frowned when he didn't continue, but she didn't push him. Today, yesterday, last night, the whole situation, starting from the beginning, had been tough on all of them.

"Quentin took my statement as quickly as he could before going to press the guy. I-I didn't want to head home and your dad understood. Of course when I asked to come with him when he got an estimated location, he wouldn't hear of it."

"Where," she hesitated, "where were you? I thought… once I got to the hospital, you'd be here." She hated to sound so helpless and needy, but it had hurt that his family, while wonderful, had been here before he was.

"I- I was just so confused as to why you ran off like that and… and then I found out you were gone… I need to tell you something, but please, please wait until I'm done?" At her nod, he continued, "I was upset and hurt when you ran off and, I'll admit, a bit mad too. I don't know what I did to set you off-"

Apparently, even though she had braced herself to hear whatever it was he had to say, including that he was upset with her, her mouth filter had no such qualms to share what had been on her mind, and she blurted out, "I thought you were going to propose and I got scared."

Time seemed to still.

She began to feel dizzy the longer it stretched. Felicity wondered if she had been wrong all along and he _wasn't_ going to propose. Now she felt stupid _and_ inconsiderate. What kind of person tells their significant other they were afraid of a proposal?

"I- I was," he admitted.

Her breath let out in one woosh; she hadn't even noticed she'd been holding it. Hating herself for sounding so weak, she replied, "Oliver, I don't know what to say."

He shook his head. "No, it-it's not your fault. I had planned this for months, but after you ran off, after, after everything, I realized what a stupid mistake I was making."

All the guilt she'd been feeling suddenly turned and twisted up inside of her, turning into pain and just a little bit of anger. It hurt that she had hurt _him_ so much that he thought proposing to her was a mistake, but didn't she deserve it? He doubted her and it was no one's fault but her own.

"It was a mistake," he continued. "It was a mistake because I've been keeping something from you, something important and I don't know how you'll ever be able to forgive me."

For a moment, she wondered if he'd cheated on her, but in the next, she dismissed the idea. He had come a long way from the playboy he had been. It was one of the many reasons why she had given him a chance. She had also started falling for him long before she began feeling whatever it was she felt for the Green Arrow. Feeling like a hypocrite because she had been emotionally cheating on her boyfriend for at least the past year, she was about to tell him he didn't need to explain himself, but he went on before she could say anything.

Oliver took a breath. "I've told you that the time I spent trapped on Lian Yu was a nightmare, but I never told you what it did to me, what I became. No, what I had to become in order to-" He cut himself off. "Felicity?"

His voice became almost inaudible as she came to a heartstopping realization. Suddenly, pieces of a puzzle she never knew she was supposed to be putting together fit into place. "You're the Green Arrow."


	6. Chapter Five: In Too Deep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nothing is set in stone. Except their love for each other. Felicity needs to figure out if that's enough. She does. (Smut ahead is your clue.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for sticking around until the end. I hope the ending is satisfying and that yo'veu enjoyed the journey here. I don't know when I'll next post an Olicity fic, weather a one-shot or multi-chaptered one, but I'll definitely be sure to edit WAY before I post so everything is ready.

"You're the Green Arrow."

Almost absently, he commented, "You're the only one who calls me that." Then, his head snapped up, gawking at her. "You knew? This entire time, you knew?"

Slowly, she shook her head. "No. I. I never guessed. I never _assumed_. It just suddenly all makes sense." The room spun and the hand gripping his suddenly slackened.

"Felicity?" A hesitant hand just barely touched her shoulder, but she didn't react. He kept it there for another second before retreating. "Felicity, I… I don't know what to say. I _never_ meant to keep this from you. The day… the day we first met, I was… testing you." He winced. "When I came to you as the Hood, Arrow… I knew I had to tell you. But… our dates were going so well and I just thought, if I told you, you wouldn't want to be with me. Then you kept helping me without knowing it was _me_ and… I don't know. You never asked who I was behind the mask and it got easier to stick with half-truths. I know it seems stupid now, but-"

"Stop," she croaked out. She didn't want to hear her excuses, didn't want to hear his guilty conscious turning up now. Why now? Why not before? Why not next week? A year from now? She was doing her best to focus on the revelation, the logic, rather than her feelings on it because… She just didn't know how to feel. Her guilt had suddenly become a whirlwind of anger, disappointment, remorse, resignation, and a stupid streak of hope.

The silence stretched on and it took Felicity a moment to realize that he was waiting for _her_ to speak up. She had asked him to stop, after all. As much as they needed to talk, as much as she needed to hear her out, as much as he needed to hear _her_ out - she needed to get her thoughts together first. And she wasn't anywhere near ready, thoughts and emotions a jumbled mess. "I, I need some time."

"Of course," he responded automatically. "Whatever you need."

There was another bought of silence and when he didn't budge, Felicity finally let a long breath out. "I need some time… _alone_ , Oliver."

"Right!" He shot up from his seat, but it took him a little while to actually step away from her. Dragging his feet rather un-Oliver-like, she felt her heart grow heavier. It was obvious he was hesitant to let her go, just waiting for her to change her mind, and it was _so_ tempting to do it. To just call him back so they could hash it out. But her mind was in chaos. If she had felt confused over her feelings for whom she thought were two different men, it was _nothing_ to how she felt now knowing that they were one and the same… _and she never realized it_.

Finally at the door, he turned back one last time. "Call me when you're discharged? If you don't want me to pick you up, I can send Digg."

Knowing if she said anything, the torrent of words would spill out in no discernible order, she simply nodded.

"I love you." And with that, he was gone, leaving her with churning thoughts.

\-------

In the end, Felicity texted Oliver and ask that he send Digg. His response of ‘ _Alright,_ ' missing any of his usual adorable emojis let her know just how hurt he was at her avoidance. But she was hurt too. Worse, she was no closer to figuring out how she could have missed that _her boyfriend was Starling City's masked hero_. She was going out of her mind, going through the last year and a half in her head, trying to recall a canceled date or unexplained absence, but there was nothing. 

It was as Digg helped her in the black sedan that she caught the man peeking at her from the rearview mirror that she came to another startling revelation.

"You know about Oliver."

She was thankful when Digg didn't play dumb. Better yet, she was glad he _did_ know or she would have seriously stuck her foot in her mouth.

"I do," he confirmed.

Felicity warred with the various emotions she'd been struggling with since she asked her boyfriend to leave her hospital room… which was technically _his family's_ room, but it was a semantic they'd both ignored for the time being. "Why did he bring you in and not me?" she bit out, sounding more bitter than she intended to be. She was only minimally surprised when she realized another emotion had joined the fray: jealousy.

"That's something you'll have to ask him."

The rest of the ride was quiet as she stewed in her thoughts. Petulantly, she wasn't sure she wanted to ask him. He acted without her consent, making decisions that were hers to make, and, worst, kept things from her that she had a right to know. He said he loved her, told her only three months into their relationship and yet… he had almost been willing to _propose_ before telling her he was the Green Arrow.

It wasn't until she thanked Diggle for the ride and was enclosed in the comfort of her apartment that she began to think about everything _she_ had done. Or not done. Said. Stepping into the shower, she broke everything down. From meeting Oliver for the first time, to her first interaction with him as the Green Arrow, sharing childhood stories, talking about regrets and things they could go back and do over, to issues in trust (her) and (his) adjusting to a normal life. When they just talked about moving in together a month ago, she thought it was all talk. They'd been together a year, true, but she thought there was still more time than that. She never assumed he was going to propose anytime soon.

And how could she have missed that? She's been with Oliver Queen for one year, eight months, and twelve days and she'd never assumed he was going to propose.

A voice in her head snarked, 'That's because you're never around to pay attention.'

As much as she wanted to protest that she was, Felicity knew it was only half-true. They were both busy people, her with her morning job, he with running Verdant at night. At the beginning they hardly saw one another, but tried to meet a couple of times a week. Once most of everything was running smoothly and Tommy was helping him, he had a bit more time, except… except when she was busy. Because she always kept busy she never thought it any different.

When she was dating Cooper, she was always with him. A relationship with Oliver felt freeing, not because she _didn't_ want to spend time with him, but because she _did_ and when she did, there he was. Was it the same for him? Was she around when he needed her? As Oliver or as Green Arrow? Feeling an oncoming headache, she stepped out of the shower, changed, laid down in bed, and let oblivion take her.

\-------

She sighed. Felicity knew the only way the chaos in her head would cease was to _talk_ to him. It had been two weeks since they had spoken and in that time, she was able to make some sense of the utter nonsense that her mind had been since Oliver's revelation. While it hadn't helped much that she was basically on paid leave due to Cooper's case and being a victim to his present crime, it had also given her some much needed solitude. Her mom had come to check in on her, but had thankfully not pushed it when she offered her to stay with her and Quentin. Ever since Donna met the cop, the two women had gotten along much better. However, she really didn't need two, worrying parents hovering over her.

Sara had called a few times more than she usually did, too. As much as she wished she could unburden herself with her stepsister, this was something she had to figure out for herself. Could she find it in her to forgive him? The answer was easy: yes. But could she trust him? That was another matter altogether.

Felicity was going out of her mind, running through various confrontations in her mind. She hated it. She hated not being able to just outright yell at him, wanting him to come and yell at _her_. They were both at fault and they knew it. It was only a matter of time before one of them gave into the urge. Right? The more time passed, the more she feared they would just… cease to be. Oliver didn't really need her, did he? He had his choice in women by the dozen. As the Green Arrow, he didn't need her either. Months ago, she had realized he stopped needing her, but still asked for her help. She had never questioned why. Now, she wondered. Why _had_ he kept her around? Why the two roles and smokescreen (greasepaint)? Why ask her out? Why ask for _her_ help? _Why not just tell her who he really was?_

As these questions, and more, arose, so did the self-recrimination. Why did she say yes to Oliver? Why didn't she spend more time with him? Why didn't _she figure it out_?

Felicity had always had a knack for finding and solving mysteries. 

Looking around her apartment and realizing that, for the first time in a long time, everything was spotless, she decided it was time for a shower.

It was also time to solve everything once and for all.

\-------

Maybe she should have given herself a little longer to find all of Oliver's secrets, she thought somewhat bitterly. Staring at the dark, damp room, Felicity almost couldn't believe the Green Arrow's lair had been under her nose all along. What else had been staring her right in the-?

"Tommy?"

The man in a dark blue button down and grey pants froze. He'd stepped out of a little hidden alcove, brandishing a bottle of… she wasn't sure what, but as he stepped closer, she noticed it was empty.

"You knew, too?" She hated herself for sounding so betrayed. This was no one's fault but Oliver's. And maybe hers, just a little.

He brought his hands up in defense. "I did. I told him to tell you _months_ ago, when I realized you two were serious. I told him what a bad idea it was to involve you in his non-caped crusade without your knowledge. I encouraged him to tell you _before he decided it was time to propose_. Did he listen to me? No, no he did not. Now _you two_ are gonna figure it out before he," Tommy jabbed his thumb behind him, "kills himself from alcohol poisoning." He went up the stairs and as he passed by her, he whispered, "Don't make me change the code and lock you in here until everything has been fixed."

She would never admit to it, but she had been so stunned by his matter-of-fact words that she didn't get a chance to tell him that if she got in here without knowing there was a coded lock, she could definitely let herself out even with a new code. Instead, she stared at his retreating back before her eyes followed along the path that he'd first come from. Stepping onto the cold, concrete floor, she finally took notice of a small cot in a little hidden corner. There, on the surface that was much too small for a man of Oliver's size, laid said man.

Before she could take another step, he roused. Oliver didn't slowly awaken like he usually did when he was in bed with her. No, this Oliver, the Oliver that was the Hood, the Green Arrow, was a man that was alert at all times. Previously lying down with no movements but the rise and fall of is chest, he was suddenly up like a shot, body tensed and ready to defend himself.

It took him a few moments longer for his brain to catch up to the sight of her, but when he did, his reaction almost crumbled her resolve. He blinked and, voice hoarse, whispered her name. "Felicity?" In it, as always, she heard all that he was feeling. Hope, fear, longing, and, what he could never hide from her, love.

This time, she willingly let her mouth go. "I don't know if I can continue like this. You obviously don't trust me and I just don't know how we can move on from this. I became a person I never thought I would be. Some of it good, some of it bad. I can understand you wanted to keep me safe, I wanted _you_ safe which is why I never told you, without realizing the person I was keeping safe was the person who was lying to me all along. You knew everything, _you know me,_ and you still kept your secrets. Maybe it's best we let things go. I can't continue to tangle myself in a web full of deceit."

He surprised her when he began his own rant. "I was stupid. I wanted everything. I wanted to save this city, I wanted- want _you_ , I want friends and love… with you. When I first decided to come back and protect the city any way I could, I had sworn I wouldn't get attached to anyone. But when I came back… my mother was happy to have me back, Thea needed me, Tommy _still looked for me_ , and then I knew I needed help too, so I brought Diggle in, but we were only two men, good with combat. We had a plan and Digg is good with strategy, but the knowledge we were missing was hard to come by, the skills…"

"So you found me."

"I searched everywhere for anyone else. If Digg had known you were my only option, he would have stopped me. Hell, he tried to stop me when he found out I was seeking you for help as the Green Arrow and when he found out about our dates… I saw his point and I was going to end it. After our… fifth date, I was going to end things, tell you something stupid how I wasn't ready or that you weren't my type. Anything to make sure we had a clean break, but instead I thought, ‘The holidays are coming up, I'll wait until after.' Then it was all ‘It's a new year, I deserve some happiness,' ‘Felicity's remarkable, I can't break up with her before Valentine's Day, the fourteenth just passed, what kind of monster would I be if I ended things now, my birthday is coming up, her birthday is coming up… And I knew I _didn't_ want to end things because _I love you_.

"And of course the same way I convinced myself I couldn't break away from you was the same way I convinced myself I couldn't tell you. With stupidity. ‘She'll never understand, she _will_ understand, she'll be in danger, she'll love the life we lead, she loves it now, I can't drag her further into my _darkness_." He gasped, running out of breath.

Without her consent, she stepped closer to him until she was right in front of him. She took a breath, trailing her fingers slowly up and down his chest. "I guess… Sometimes, when you're too close to something, to someone, you can't see what's right in front of you." Resting her palm over his heart, she felt it speed up and if she didn't know he was the epitome of healthy male specimen, she would be worried. With difficulty, she broke away and began to turn. "You didn't drag me into anything, Oliver. You took my choice away. I took your choice away, even if you were the Green Arrow. Two wrongs don't always make a right." She avoided his eyes, staring ahead helplessly, unable to form the words she needed to - what she _should_ say. As much as she loved him, Felicity knew she should end things here and now. They weren't good for one another.

"No." As if he understood what she was trying to do, he growled and held her tight before loosening his grip. "I _refuse_ to give up on us, Felicity. You loved me enough to do so twice over, as Oliver Queen and as the Green Arrow. You loved me despite my past. You loved me despite being a murderer. You saw past my mistakes and I will not let you go unless you can honestly tell me you don't love me."

She stared at him, looking at him as if for the first time and felt her insides clench, her mind going blank as her heart tried to pound its way out of her chest. No matter how hard she tried, she could never tell him she didn't love him. But was it enough?

"I fucked up. I know that. I just need the chance to prove to you that I can do better. I _will_ do better. But if you say you need a break," he let her go completely and took a step back, "I'll give you as much time you need." He breathed in before stating, "Just know I will always be here."

His eyes would always be her downfall. It's how she believed that a billionaire playboy who'd been lost at sea loved her, it was how she knew he could be trusted, it was how she knew she never had to worry about him cheating when he spent late nights at his nightclub (of course, looking back he was more likely playing the vigilante), and it was how she knew, right then and there, that he would wait for her.

"I don't want you to wait for me." Felicity held her hand up at his sharp breath and let her heart speak for once. "We're both at fault and we'll work through it together. But if either of us feel it's too much, it's done. I refuse to be in a relationship where trust isn't a two-way street. Which begs the question, why aren't you upset at _me_?"

Oliver shook his head. "I'd be a hypocrite if I was. You have every right to be mad," he added hastily. "I had a lot more to keep from you and for more selfish reasons. You just wanted to protect me. If anything had happened, if you'd been caught, I hadn't been the Hoo- Green Arrow, I wouldn't have been an accomplice and I know that's what you were trying to prevent. I love you more for it."

Her breath caught and Felicity didn't care that they still had a lot more to cover. For now, they had hashed it out as much as possible and came to the conclusion that they both loved for each other. That they would do anything for each other. That they would try. It was enough for her.

Felicity stepped closer and wrapped her arms around Oliver. As he'd done many times before, he put his hands around her waist and pulled her closer. She smiled as he waited until she leaned up before he came down to meet her lips in a soft embrace.

Sighing contently, she slowly licked his lips, ignoring his invitation in, and worked on her favorite: his lower lip, longer than was probably convenient.

His hands traveled her back, massaged the nape of her neck, and ran fingers through her hair, letting her set the pace. Parting from his lips with a moan, she pressed close-mouthed kisses on his scruffy jaw, trailing to his neck and making him shudder and pull her closer as she opened just enough to graze her teeth down the column. Her hands, which had been happily perched on his shoulders, made their way down and with no preamble, gripped the edge of his shirt, pulling it off.

"Think your cot is sturdy enough?"

His chuckle warmed her face and lower abdomen. "I'm sure we can manage." In one swoop, he scooped her up and she wrapped herself around him like an octopus. Quatropus? She dug her ankles into his lower back and swore she would never get tired of this feeling.

The surface on her back as Oliver lowered her was odd. Thinner and softer than she was used to, from the mattresses they had soiled, to the carpets and rugs, and the occasional smooth or rough wall. She thought about suggesting a more steady surface, but suddenly his fingers were under her shirt, tugging it off, her bra was lowered, and her nipple entered Oliver's warm, wet mouth. She choked on a moan, her legs clenching around him and her fingers sought sturdier purchase.

Getting desperate, Felicity scrambled to remove his pants and was rewarded with a grunt as he was forcefully removed from her chest. Her mouth sought his and what started as a slow and gentle journey, became a frantic struggle for removing every piece of clothes they could while simultaneously keeping some sort of skin-to-skin contact. Mouths touched shoulders, arms, a finger was nipped, breasts firmly squeezed. Just as she got enough leeway to unbuckle Oliver's belt and had his pants and briefs halfway down, he interrupted.

Oliver didn't even bother unsnapping her bra, just pulled it off, skewing her glasses before they clattered to the ground. He promised he'd pick them up later before his mouth and tongue trailed down her chest, nipping the bottom of her breasts, running his teeth down her stomach, purposely grazing his scruff as he got to the edge of her pants. Here, he slowed down, teasing the edge of her yoga pants, barely putting any force into the tugging. If she'd been on a larger bed, Felicity would have rolled away and finished removing them herself. As he stopped to cup her ass, Felicity had enough. Thrusting her hips in urgency, she began a babble with, "If you're not in me _soon_ , I'm going to-" but was interrupted when the force of her hips hit the cot and it collapsed, a soft, padded floor on her back and a hard, chiseled chest on her front, grazing her nipples. Thankfully, Oliver's reflexes kicked in and he refrained from taking further air that the impact already had.

When her vision regained focus (or as much as it could without her glasses), she stared right into Oliver's deep, blue eyes. While they were still dark with arousal, there was also mirth swimming in their depths and once Felicity felt like she could breathe again, she was the first to burst out laughing. Shoulders shaking and bodies vibrating with the sheer ridiculousness of them, they embraced one another and laid side-by-side on the mat they'd landed on.

"The first time I stayed here, I accidentally rolled off the cot, looking for you," Oliver told her. "I forgot where I was, for a moment. The only time I've ever been able to let my guard down was when I was with you. After that, I put the cot over the mat, just in case."

Felicity took his hands when he lowered his gaze, causing Oliver to look up again. "I was upset at myself for a long time. I love you, love you as Oliver Queen and when I began feeling for the Green Arrow, I was afraid of the person I was becoming: flighty, untrustworthy, pathetic. I love you and I know you love me. You proved it every day but in one: you didn't trust me. But, no matter what, I'll always trust you because I love you."

She was unable to tell if there were actual tears in Oliver's eyes because he was upon her an instant. Felicity's pants were pulled off the rest of the away, her panties barely made it off undamaged, and his pants were hardly down his legs when he pressed himself between her thighs. Thankfully, he took her earlier words to heart and with a slight rub of his head to her clit, he inched his way inside.

Any other time, she would call him a tease, but right this moment she was too lost in the pleasure of feeling stretched out. With every move forward he kissed her cheek, her nose, nuzzled her ear, caressed her lips with his, and when he was as deep within her as possible, he stayed there a few moments without moving, simply enjoying the feel of her surrounding him.

Felicity had no complaints and wasn't a complacent participant, her hands caressed his back, fingertips tracing each scar it came across. The first time she'd asked about them, Oliver had simply replied it happened “during my time away.” He never went into details and she never asked, but always made sure he knew he could tell her anything. She sighed and nuzzled his jaw, clenching her inner muscles at the feel of his scruff and grinning as she pulled a groan from him.

"Fe-li-ci-ty. If you want this to last, I suggest you give me a moment."

"I thought I already had," she teased. "Now I think it's _my_ turn."

If it was possible, she swore his eyes darkened further. With nothing but a gentle thrust of her hips, he had an arm wrapped around her waist and was turning them so she sat above him. Without meaning to, she grabbed his ass and hummed at the feel of it tightening. "Oliver," she moaned, her muscles massaging him. Needing more, she moved her hands on his shoulders and pulled away.

He whimpered as she pulled away completely and her breath caught, not doing much better. Finding him again, she thrust down in one go. Using Oliver's hard shoulders as leverage, she rocked onto his dick, fucking him slowly, swiveling her hips every now and then. At one time, a hand thrust into her hair, bringing their mouths together, lips grazing against each other, his tongue tracing, not looking for entrance, lest he break the rhythm she had going.

Finally, her impatience began to win and she braced her knees on the mat for further leverage. Feeling her change in pace, Oliver lowered himself so she stretched above him, hands on his chest and thrusting down on him _hard_. His hands couldn't keep still and he roved her body pinching her nipples, pressing down on her clit until _finally_ , she groaned out his name, her climax rocking her to the core.

Once she'd come down enough, he carefully rolled them around and, with a few, quick thrusts, shouted, "FELICItY!" With little energy to hold him up, he let himself down, being careful to drop next to her, rather than atop.

"Looks like I'll have to replace your cot," Felicity commented, smiling when she got a laugh out of a breathless Oliver.

"It does its job, but I'd never used it for this sort of activities. We definitely pushed it passed its limits." He ran his hand over her cheek, thumb pressed on her lips. "I chose last night to propose because I realized… there was never going to be a right time. Something was always going to come up and I knew, if I was spontaneous about it, you would never see it coming. I know how much you hate mysteries, so I assumed bringing it up out of the blue would help. I also… Honestly, I was tired of waiting. I know I should have told you sooner, but I thought if I told you… _after_ maybe, maybe you wouldn't walk away. _I know_ I should have told you everything sooner. I can't put enough emphasis on how I know this, but I was afraid. I love you so much, I've put almost my whole being into being with you, I think I felt I needed a safety net, something to pull back to in case things didn't work out. And when they did, when _you_ continued to be amazing, in our relationship, in _both_ our relationships, I knew I should have told you, but… I was afraid."

"Well, now that you know what an idiot you were, in a few months you can try again." She smiled at his hopeful stare. "For now…" Felicity looked around, her eyes landing on the computer station he had set up. "You _need_ to let me help you update this place. That," she gestured to the impractical and _ancient_ hunk of junk, "physically _pains_ me. I'm surprised you didn't _beg_ for my full participation. It's a wonder you got anything done without me."

"I wasn't exactly _without_ you," he reminded her.

Felicity waved her hands. "That was child's play. Your productivity, Mr. Green Arrow, is going to double with my full-time involvement."

He hesitated.

"And I don't want to hear any nonsense about my safety. What if someone one day discovered your identity, Oliver? What then? I would have been in harm's way anyway and completely oblivious to the matters at hand. And, as you've seen, you're not the only one with a dark past. We both have our burdens and that's without the world being a scary place. Don't you think it's best if we do it together?"

"I thought we were already _doing it_ together." He waggled his eyebrows.

She groaned. "You just couldn't help yourself, could you?"

"Nope." He grinned before becoming serious. "I really like the sound of us being full-on partners, Felicity. Here, at home, at QC. It's all I ever dreamed and didn't think was possible."

"I don't think that means what you think it means. You and me, Oliver, we're going to _redefine_ possible. The tech nerd and the hero, whoever heard? Things will never be the same."

"I can't wait." He held her close and with a silent promise to never let her go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by Backstreet Boys' Not For Me.

**Author's Note:**

> (Title and chapter titles are all derived from said song.)


End file.
